If you thought you heard a lot about AI (artificial intelligence) in 2024, buckle up. Not only was AI the hot topic at both the National Retail Federation and CES conferences last month, but tech giants like Google, Meta, Microsoft and more are continuing to up the ante with innovative applications for the use of AI in our everyday lives.
Speaking of Google, the Google Shopping platform, specifically, is leaning heavily on AI technology to transform its personalized shopping features into a more intuitive and responsive online shopping assistant. After releasing key updates in Q4 of 2024, Google saw a 13 percent increase in daily shopping users in the U.S. for the month of December, year-over-year. And team Google isn’t stopping there.
Managing director for commerce at Google, Egan Brinkman, shared that 2025 “is going to be the year that AI truly transforms the consumer journey and how they discover, how they research, and how they choose to buy,” as reported by Retail Brew. But Google’s AI improvements aren’t only geared toward shoppers.
3 Google Shopping AI Improvements for Retailers
- In Q4, Google announced improved AI search performance designed for retailers, specifically those on its Merchant Center Next platform, which allows retailers to discover and take advantage of viral trends using Google’s enhanced AI search.
- Google added “generative AI-powered insight summaries” to the merchant analytics tab to highlight product performance.
- Retailers can perform search queries to obtain custom selling data on specific products.
DIVE DEEPER: 4 Practical Ways to Use AI as a Retailer
What Exactly is Merchant Center Next?
Google’s Merchant Center Next is a reimagining of its original Merchant Center platform, available to retailers large and small. Is this free tool right for you?
The new-and-improved Merchant Center Next is Google’s “simplified platform for businesses to manage how their products show up on Google. Merchant Center Next is easier to use, lets you control how your products appear across Google, and gives you valuable insights about your business, products, and market.”
LEARN MORE about Merchant Center Next
As you work to grow your online sales, analyzing selling data is crucial. Why not take advantage of free tools like Google Analytics, Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) and newer, AI-driven options like the updated Merchant Center Next to better understand your own business and your industry as a whole?
GET STARTED with Google’s Merchant Center Next
Nationwide Marketing Group Member Data Tools
Nationwide is a major proponent for utilizing all the data available to you as a merchant — to maximize both online and in-store sales opportunities. That’s why we offer several data-driven tools, designed with your industry and your unique needs in mind.
PriMetrix
Powered by Nationwide, PriMetrix is the Independent retail channel’s first and only performance insights program. Through its suite of analytics tools, PriMetrix gives participating Nationwide Members business intelligence you can act on to propel your business forward.
LEARN MORE about PriMetrix on MemberNet (login required)
eXchange
The eXchange is Nationwide’s exclusive Vendor marketplace, offering the ability to shop hundreds of brands, see real-time pricing and inventory, search by category and Vendor, manage orders and generate POs.
Think of eXchange as a one-stop-shop for many of the brands you may already carry and a place to go when you are looking to expand or change your assortment or product mix.
LEARN MORE about the eXchange (login required)
